Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie PerkinsAnna and the French Kiss by Stephanie PerkinsIsla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie PerkinsChasing Power by Sarah Beth DurstThe Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Each month we'll bring you the best of what the Torrington Library team is reading! We'll give you the name of the team member, the book title and author, how many stars the team member awarded each title, and the Torrington Library call number. Click here for previous "From the Bookshelf of..." titles on our website!

Hider, Seeker, Secret Keeper by Elizabeth KiemOf Monsters and Madness by Jessica VerdayThe Cure for Dreaming by Cat WintersSanctum by Madeleine RouxAtlantia by Ally CondieTheseus and the Minotaur: A Graphic Novel by Yvan Pommaaux

Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Timesbestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future.

But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.

Clariel by Garth Nix

The long-awaited fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Old Kingdom series by Garth NixAward-winning author Garth Nix returns to the Old Kingdom with a thrilling prequel complete with dark magic, royalty, dangerous action, a strong heroine, and flawless world-building. This epic fantasy adventure is destined to be a classic, and is perfect for fans of Game of Thrones.Clariel is the daughter of one of the most notable families in the Old Kingdom, with blood relations to the Abhorsen and, most important, to the King. She dreams of living a simple life but discovers this is hard to achieve when a dangerous Free Magic creature is loose in the city, her parents want to marry her off to a killer, and there is a plot brewing against the old and withdrawn King Orrikan. When Clariel is drawn into the efforts to find and capture the creature, she finds hidden sorcery within herself, yet it is magic that carries great dangers. Can she rise above the temptation of power, escape the unwanted marriage, and save the King?

Each month we'll bring you the best of what the Torrington Library team is reading! We'll give you the name of the team member, the book title and author, how many stars the team member awarded each title, and the Torrington Library call number. Click here for previous "From the Bookshelf of..." titles on our website!

October 2014- Halloween Reads!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (Fiction)J IRV / 5 out of 5 Stars

In the secluded Dutch territory of Sleepy Hollow, nebbish schoolmaster Ichabod Crane competes with the town hero for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel, the 18-year-old daughter and sole child of a wealthy farmer. As Crane leaves a party at the Van Tassel's farm one autumn evening, he is pursued by the Headless Horseman, an apparition said to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper snuffed out by a stray cannonball during the Revolutionary War.

Told in rhythmic prose that almost purrs when read aloud, this black cat's story enchants with a perfect blend of art and text. On the opening spread, Moonlight waits patiently for readers to catch up with her in a pumpkin patch of vibrant orange. Then, she walks across rolling meadows, along fences, and past hay fields. "Moonlight walks the night. She sees lights going off in the houses. Now only pumpkins will shine." The feline snuggles affectionately on the lap of a man made of straw and watches many splendors of the night, including trick-or-treating children and reflections of stars on a pond. Sweet's acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations bring the feline and the pumpkins to life. Luminously serene blues and greens predominate and harmonize with the cozy, comforting moods and emotions the text evokes. Especially enchanting is the close-up illustration of Moonlight's back as she sits placidly on a tree branch, facing a huge, yellow moon. The varying perspectives throughout the book are bound to keep even the youngest children intrigued. The Night Country by Steward O'Nan (Adult Fiction)FIC ONA / 5 out of 5 Stars

Tim, the only one not injured in an automobile accident that killed three of his friends and left another brain damaged, plots to re-create the crash exactly one year later on Halloween night in hopes of putting himself out of his misery.